engleski

Preemployment evaluation of atopy and contact sensitization in the prevention of allergy-related diseases

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of markers of atopy and contact sensitisation in asymptomatic young adult population undergoing pre-employment examination and to validate their importance in pre-employment screening. The study included 351 subjects, of whom 166 women (mean age 28,0 +/-6,4 years) and 185 men (mean age 26,3+/-5,4 years). They were examined during pre-employment examination for a pharmaceutical industry. In addition to the questionnaire, the patch test with European standard series of contact allergens, prick test with common inhalatory allergens and the serum specific IgE measurement were performed. According to the medical history 115/166 (69.3%) women and 142/185 (76.8%) men were asymptomatic, but 28 (24.3%) asymptomatic women and 40 (28.2%) asymptomatic men showed atopy and/or contact sensitisation. Pre-employment allergological examination can be considered a reliable detection procedure for the majority of asymptomatic persons with atopy and contact sensitisation. The knowledge of these conditions gives the opportunity for secondary prevention and better diagnostic validation of occupational allergic diseases.

pre-employment examination; risk factors; atopy; contact sensitisation

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